Kia Told 380,000 Owners To Park Outside Due To Fire Risk Recall

Nobody wants their garage to go up in flames. So if you own either of these vehicles, you should probably stick to parking in the driveway for a bit.

Kia warned 380,000 Sportage and Cadenza owners they should park their vehicles outside due to a risk of fire in the engine compartment. The automaker is recalling 2017-19 Cadenza sedans and 2017-21 Sportage crossovers. I

f your vehicle is equipped with Kia’s “Smart Cruise Control” however, you can disregard this recall. The NHTSA reports the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may short-circuit, which can cause a fire in the engine compartment.

Owners should be on the look out for these signs before the risk of fire: tire pressure, antilock brake or other warning lights on their dashboard. There also may be a burning or melting odor.

To remedy the issue, Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace certain fuses in the electrical junction box. Vehicles equipped with an electronic parking brake (EPB) will also receive a software update.

Repairs will be free of charge to owners. The recall is expected to begin April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 or can enter their car’s VIN into NHTSA’s website to see if their vehicle is affected. The number for this recall is SC206.

At the time of this article, Kia has not reported that any of its other vehicles are affected by this issue and there have been no reported injuries, deaths, or fires related to the recall.

This recall comes months after both Hyundai and Kia recalled other vehicles for a brake fluid leak that could cause fires. Both automakers asked owners to park vehicles outside at that time as well.